Lottery ex-official gets 37-month sentenceLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a former Arkansas lottery security official to three years and a month in prison for stealing and cashing almost a half million dollars’ worth of scratch-off tickets. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright also ordered former deputy security director Remmele Mazyck to pay more than $482,000 in restitution. In court in Little Rock, Mazyck apologized for his actions after his mother asked...

Man appeals ruling barring partner from homeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A judge violated an Arkansas man’s constitutional rights by barring his gay partner from staying overnight when his son visits, imposing a blanket restriction on unmarried couples living together, attorneys told the state’s highest court Thursday. Attorneys for John Moix asked the Arkansas Supreme Court during a hearing to reverse a Pulaski County judge’s decision to impose the restriction on Moix’s visits with his 12-year-o...

Senators split on discrimination billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ U.S. senators split on a measure now headed to the House that outlaws workplace discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, while Republican Sen. John Boozman opposed the measure. The proposal passed that chamber on a 64-32 vote. The bill would prohibit employers with 15 or more workers from using a person’s sexual orien...

Court asked to consider raises for juvenile officersAttorney Clay McCall asked the Pope County Quorum Court’s Budget Committee on Tuesday to consider cost-of-living raises for juvenile probation employees. McCall, a deputy prosecutor who works with the juvenile probation office, noted the $23,000 starting salary for a juvenile probation officer — a position which requires a college degree — is roughly equivalent to the average college graduate’s student loan debt. In addition, the department’s ...

Sebelius takes GOP criticism over “Obamacare” WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans blistered Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday over the nation’s controversial health care law, bluntly challenging her honesty, pushing for her resignation and demanding unsuccessfully she concede that President Barack Obama deliberately misled the public about his signature domestic program. “We’re not in it to just give you a rough time. We’re in it to try and hopefully get it righ...

Why a spike in October unemployment may not be so bad WASHINGTON (AP) — The jobs report for October due out Friday may be bleak. It might even be scary. The unemployment rate could jump by the most in three years. Hiring may slow from an already weak pace. Don’t panic. The ugly figures will reflect the government’s partial shutdown, which coincided with 16 days in October. The trends for the job market will likely reverse themselves in coming months. “It’s going to be a very messy report, and I d...

Russian fireball shows meteor risk may be bigger WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists studying the terrifying meteor that exploded without warning over a Russian city last winter say the threat of space rocks smashing into Earth is bigger than they thought. Meteors about the size of the one that streaked through the sky at 42,000 mph and burst over Chelyabinsk in February — and ones even larger and more dangerous — are probably four, five or even seven times more likely to hit the planet than scient...

Agency proposes $2.6M in penalties against Exxon LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A federal agency is proposing more than $2.6 million in civil penalties against ExxonMobil after one of the company’s pipelines ruptured and spilled thousands of barrels of oil in central Arkansas, according to a document released Wednesday. The proposed civil penalties come along with what the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration says are nine probable violations of pipeline safety regulations, including a...

AG announces human trafficking task forceLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Wednesday that he has established a statewide task force aimed at preventing human trafficking. McDaniel announced the creation of the task force during a news conference in Little Rock, where he stood alongside some of the state lawmakers who have sponsored legislation to help Arkansas combat human trafficking. The State Task Force for the Prevention of Human Trafficking is mad...

GOP, Democratic chairmen square off in debateLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The chairmen of Arkansas’ Democratic and Republican parties clashed Wednesday over whose candidates best represent the state’s voters, in a debate that offered a glimpse of the nearly year-long election fight that lay ahead. Speaking before the Political Animals Club, state Democratic Party Chairman Vince Insalaco and GOP Chairman Doyle Webb sparred over the party’s prospects in state and federal races, as well as the presid...

Nine schools awarded top honor in rankings LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Nine Arkansas schools have been singled out for high honors in a state Education Department accountability report. Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell announced Wednesday that the schools earned “exemplary” status. The report was issued Tuesday, but the department was still working to determine which schools deserved the exemplary designation. Schools earning top honors are Brookland Elementary, Haas Hall Academy in Fayettev...

Lawmakers: Army won’t eliminate ASU's ROTC LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation say the U.S. Army is withdrawing, for now, its proposal to eliminate Arkansas State University’s ROTC program. U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor and John Boozman made the announcement Wednesday with U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, whose district includes ASU. The lawmakers said the Army will keep the program open for an additional year while it re-evaluates its program criteria. The Army announced ...

Dardanelle City Council passes pit bull banDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council passed an ordinance Monday banning pit bull dogs within city limits. Prior to the vote, Dardanelle resident Amanda Grayham spoke against the ordinance. She said the breed ban would cause her home insurance to nearly double and put her family in the situation where they may have to find a new home for their pet, a female pit bull. “I don’t believe my dog is vicious, and I don’t believe she is dangerous,”...

Christie re-elected as governor of New JerseyASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie has declared victory in his re-election bid, thanking New Jersey’s voters for “making me the luckiest guy in the world.” He made his victory speech just after 10 p.m. in the shore town of Asbury Park. Christie became the first Republican on the ballot statewide in New Jersey since George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaign in 1988 to get more than 50 percent of the votes in the state. With 69 percent ...

Witt to run for US House seat in south Arkansas LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director announced he was running for a south Arkansas congressional seat on Tuesday, giving Democrats a high-profile candidate as they try to rebound from Republican gains in the state. Witt, who headed FEMA from 1993 through 2001, announced on a conference call that he was seeking the party’s nomination for the 4th Congressional District. Witt served as Arkansas’ emergency managem...

Schools get look in accountability reportLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said Tuesday that a school accountability report doesn’t quite show how well teachers are doing at bringing students to proficiency in math and literacy. Kimbrell said there is a “ceiling effect” in which it is harder for schools to meet ever-increasing targets. For instance, a school that had 90 percent proficiency in 2011 may have had the goal of improving it to 91 percent in 20...

Revenue remains up in October LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ October tax revenues beat expectations and those of the same month last year, although they may not reflect yet the impact of last month’s partial federal government shutdown on state coffers, finance officials said Monday. The state Department of Finance and Administration reported that Arkansas’ net available revenue for October totaled $372.8 million, which was $17.2 million more than October 2012 and $8.1 above...

JPs still split on millage hikeWith a vote expected Thursday, uncertainty looms as to the fate of a proposed millage increase for Pope County’s General Fund. For several months, the Pope County Quorum Court has discussed whether a property tax increase is needed. At its November meeting, the court must vote to set the millage rate for the year. An ordinance to increase the millage from one to two mills for the county’s General Fund has been read twice and is expected to be ...

Volatile prices at gas pumps give drivers whiplash NEW YORK (AP) — Local gasoline prices are swinging up and down ever more drastically, a result of a national fuel system that is operating with a shrinking margin for error. Jumps of 20 cents per gallon or more in a single day are becoming more common, for example, according to an AP analysis of daily and weekly price changes at 120,000 U.S. gasoline stations tracked by GasBuddy.com. Sixty-three times this year at least one U.S. metro area has...

Sticker shock often follows insurance cancellation MIAMI (AP) — Dean Griffin liked the health insurance he purchased for himself and his wife three years ago and thought he’d be able to keep the plan even after the federal Affordable Care Act took effect. But the 64-year-old recently received a letter notifying him the plan was being canceled because it didn’t cover certain benefits required under the law. The Griffins, who live near Philadelphia on the Delaware border, pay $770 monthly for th...